Post of the Day
The Black Summer fires were so large they altered the ozone layer — something never seen before
Record amounts of smoke from Australia’s 2019/2020 bushfires may have caused changes in the atmosphere that caused a drop in ozone levels, a study suggests.
On This Day
Shushan Purim – Israel
Holi – Hinduism
Hola Mohalla – Sikhism
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
Setting carbon management in stone
Keeping global temperatures within limits deemed safe by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change means doing more than slashing carbon emissions. It means reversing them.
National
The Black Summer fires were so large they altered the ozone layer — something never seen before
Record amounts of smoke from Australia’s 2019/2020 bushfires may have caused changes in the atmosphere that caused a drop in ozone levels, a study suggests.
State and territory governments are investing in charging infrastructure and offering a range of incentives to reduce the financial burden on Australians wanting to make the switch to electric cars.
Environmental concerns and financial struggles as cruise ships set to return to Australia
Cruise ships have been banned from entering Australia since March 2020, but their return to the country from next month has raised questions about their benefit.
Most threatened species are not being monitored: ANAO report
Most of Australia’s threatened species are not being monitored and there’s no effort to determine if rescue plans are working, a new audit has found.
Morrison Government must stop protecting Russian Beetaloo billionaire oligarch
The Greens are calling on Scott Morrison to immediately add to the sanctions list a Russian billionaire oligarch conducting business in Australia on the Scott Morrison-backed Betaloo gas project.
How Australia could benefit from a global shift to emissions-free steel
Australia is the world’s number one exporter of both iron ore and metallurgical coal, the key ingredients of traditional steel making. Together, these materials make up a very large part of Australia’s export income.
Angus Taylor backs ‘green bank’ that Tony Abbott tried to kill [$]
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation has just passed the milestone of $10 billion in commitments to renewable energy projects, worth $36.5 billion.
The epic task of turning Australia into a zero-emissions exporter [$]
Specialists at the Australian National University have for the first time quantified the staggering scale of what the process would entail.
Australia’s electricity system is on the road to becoming 100% renewable as coal-fired power stations close and wind and solar takes their place.
Shipping sunshine: Germany emerges as big customer for Australia’s bottled solar
The idea that Germany would be a major hydrogen export prospect for Australia seemed laughable a few years ago. But the business case has dramatically improved.
Coming together to manage Australia’s asbestos legacy
Asbestos is still present in 1 in 3 homes across Australia, as well as in a large number of public and commercial buildings. Managing Australia’s asbestos legacy is a challenge for all levels of government, as well as industry and non government.
Australia’s population growth remains low
Australia’s population grew by just 0.3 per cent in the year to September 2021 according to data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Joyce’s ’coffin’ message for climate activists
Barnaby Joyce has dismissed youth climate activists by asking if people carrying coffins in Ukraine care about climate change.
When will eastern Australia’s wet weather end and will we get a La Niña ‘three-peat’?
Forecasters now say La Niña won’t break down until late autumn and another could emerge by next summer
Defence personnel not allowed to speak about climate ‘unless they go through Peter Dutton’s office’
Former defence force chief Chris Barrie says it’s a disgrace that we’ve made a left-right issue out of global heating and its impacts
Impacts of climate change on our food supply
Climate change is leading to a higher frequency and severity of extreme weather events that put supply chains at risk. These include floods, bushfires, and droughts. As climate change accelerates, risks to supply of food arising from extreme weather are growing.
Europe taps Australia’s coal miners to replace Russian supplies
Australia’s coal miners are fielding requests to ship spare cargoes to Europe as utilities scramble to reduce their reliance on Russia.
Energy Minister Angus Taylor sparks fight over funds for power poles and wires
Energy and Emission Reduction Minister Angus Taylor will step up the Morrison government’s attack on Labor’s $20 billion promise to modernise the nation’s main electrical grid to cope with more renewables, in a sign an election clash is brewing over the issue.
Australia’s Environment 2021 report found increased decline in biodiversity
Australia’s biodiversity is facing continued decline, with another 34 species listed as threatened over the past 12 months.
Is Australia really beating other countries at cutting emissions?
Graham Readfearn
Scott Morrison has to be very selective with the data to make a favourable global comparison
Maybe Sussan Ley could try appealing to common sense
Jenna Price
There have been many surprises in my six and a half decades – but here’s the surprisingest. I discovered last week that the government has no duty of care towards me. It also doesn’t have a duty of care to children or young people. It certainly doesn’t appear to have any duty of care to the environment.
John Pye
Australia is the world’s number one exporter of both iron ore and metallurgical coal, the key ingredients of traditional steel making. Together, these materials make up a very large part of Australia’s export income.
Walker, Assange and the ‘climate kids’: Signs of a broken legal system
Hannah Thomas
One of the most hackneyed weapons in any colonial apologist’s arsenal is the myth former colonies should be grateful to have inherited the British common law system.
Good news on the environment at last — but the bad news still hangs like a cloud
Amber Schultz
The Australian National University has issued a report saying Australia’s environment is in good shape. But don’t crack the bubbly just yet.
Paul Burke et al
Australia’s electricity system is on the road to becoming 100% renewable as coal-fired power stations close and wind and solar takes their place.
Victoria
As Melbourne’s population surges, Dandenong is set for a multi-billion-dollar transformation
New apartment towers, shopping centres and office complexes could transform the heart of Dandenong in Melbourne’s south-east — but not everyone is happy.
Clean-up continues following pollution at Cherry Creek and Lake
Hobsons Bay is calling for tough penalties to be imposed on the business responsible for the big fish kill in Cherry Creek and Cherry Lake as authorities continue to warn people to avoid contact with the water and any fish or eels caught there.
Andrews compares duck hunting to ‘playing golf’ [$]
Daniel Andrews has doubled down on the decision to allow duck shooting comparing the practice to going to the footy as furious Labor MPs speak out over the controversial move.
$2.9bn extension cord holding Victoria back [$]
A five-year delay in connecting Victoria to Australia’s largest renewable energy project has been labelled “Russian roulette”.
Empty bike lanes causing traffic nightmares [$]
Outcry over traffic chaos as new data reveals CBD bike lanes remain largely empty while taking precious space from cars and trucks in the city.
Students to ditch class for climate in nationwide strike [$]
Victorian pupils will walk out of class next week, demanding urgent climate change action and net zero emissions by 2030.
Guy blasts government for acting ‘like bastards’ [$]
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has slammed the state government for their treatment of residents affected by the North East Link, saying they’re behaving “like a pack of bastards”.
New South Wales
Northern NSW floods trigger mass fish kill with hundreds of thousands lining riverbanks, beaches
Fishermen have lost homes to the floods, nets and traps have been swept away and now their livelihood is washing up dead on riverbanks and beaches in events that could take years to recover from.
From sewage to irrigation farms, why more NSW towns are making better use of wastewater
Across New South Wales, towns are investing in wastewater recycling schemes to improve water efficiency in anticipation of the next drought.
‘Loss-making’ NSW native forest logging contracts may be extended until 2028
The Agriculture Minister has been urged to immediately halt negotiations to extend native forest logging agreements, with critics saying it makes no environmental or economic sense.
We saw drought and fire ravage koalas but thought they could climb free of floodwaters … until now
Cate Faehrmann
Koalas were already endangered before the floods. Now any climate change will imperil the precious species.
Two years after devastating bushfires donated funds remain unspent
Frustration is growing in some quarters that most of the windfall that poured into the coffers of the nation’s leading wildlife rescue charity has not yet been spent.
Decades-long campaign sees Billagoe added to NSW heritage list
After 20 years of campaigning Billagoe (Mount Drysdale), in northern New South Wales’ Orana region has been listed on the NSW State Heritage Register.
Protecting the Kosciuzko brumbies isn’t a zero-sum game
Gregory Andrews
At 400,000, Australia has the largest feral horse population in the world. We have more feral horses than the combined population of all our platypuses and koalas put together.
Queensland
Federal government commits $483m to massive Queensland dam project
The Urannah Dam has been talked about for decades, but now the government has committed to about 50 per cent of the cost ahead of final approval.
Julie and Don Sager are horrified at the number of people pulling potentially cancer-causing rubble onto footpaths in flood-stricken areas and want to prevent others from asbestos-related diseases like their son had.
‘Obsessed by coal’: former Queensland LNP minister hits out at Morrison government
Bundaberg mayor Jack Dempsey says voters in his region ‘oppose coal’ and want no new mines
Great Barrier Reef cops coral bleaching event ahead of UN inspection
Reports of significant coral bleaching on the reef between Townsville and the Whitsundays have emerged just days before an international delegation assesses its World Heritage status.
Queensland backs connection to country’s biggest wind project, and new Wambo facility
Queensland announces connection deal for country’s biggest wind farm, and another $190 million to support new Wambo wind project.
Clive Palmer’s coming up against the military, who aren’t happy about his latest coal mine
Mining billionaire Clive Palmer is facing an unlikely adversary in his bid to have a central Queensland coal mining project approved. His proposed site overlaps the expansion zone of the Australian Defence Force’s Shoalwater Bay training ground.
Government denies Walker’s claim of support to destroy wetlands
Steve Bishop
A developer has made false claims that the Government is reviewing a submission for an environmentally-destructive town plan.
Barnaby’s dam not worth a damn with no $$s and no environmental approval [$]
Malcolm Farr
The deputy PM’s big plan to build a dam in north Queensland has no funding, and has been denied environment approval for nearly 60 years.
South Australia
Environmental policies are taking a back seat in the SA election. Should voters be worried?
Four years ago there was fierce competition between Labor and Liberal parties on the climate crisis. Now they are mostly in agreement
Uranium miner to raise $125 million for Honeymoon restart
Listed company Boss Energy has kicked off a $125 million equity raise to fund the development of the mothballed Honeymoon uranium mine in South Australia’s north-east.
‘White elephant’: Former adviser raises hydrogen doubts [$]
A former government adviser who helped deal with the fallout of the $3bn State Bank collapse has labelled Labor’s hydrogen power plant plan a “white elephant”.
Tasmania
Kelvedon Hills Reserve protects 3,500 hectares of woodlands on Tasmania’s East Coast
A large swathe of land on Tasmania’s East Coast near Swansea is now protected by The Tasmanian Land Conservancy, with 40 rare and threatened species calling it home.
‘Like building in flood plains’: Mayor warns against high fire risk builds [$]
After flames tore through Hobart’s hillside last month, the mayor has revealed the area was classed as a bushfire prone zone in the same meeting the subdivision was approved.
Indigenous abalone fishery deal will ‘restore our ancestors to sea country’
A ground-breaking deal signed to provide Aboriginal Tasmanians with access to a commercial abalone fishery is being hailed as a step towards resetting relationships and cultural practices.
Connection to Sea Country: Cultural fisheries program launched for Tasmania’s Aboriginal people
The signing of what’s being described as a ‘historic’ agreement between the Tasmanian Government and the Land and Sea Aboriginal Corporation of Tasmania is the result of years of advocacy for Aboriginal leadership in fisheries management.
Western Australia
Climate change drives Perth’s creation of new blue kangaroo paw
When plant breeders attempted to make a tougher kangaroo paw that stood up to disease and heat, new colours started to emerge. The resulting varieties could make it Australia’s biggest flower export.
New study finds wattle used for over 50,000 years in Western Desert
While the plant has been an iconic symbol for decades, it was crucial to the survival of Aboriginal people for much longer.
Sustainability
Energy leaders are convening at White House for summit on commercialization of clean fusion energy
The summit, “Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy,” is the first step in a Biden-Harris administration initiative to accelerate commercial fusion energy, a clean energy technology that uses the same reaction that powers the Sun and stars.
Event summary – Vertical integration: Key to meeting India’s climate goals
The cohesive nature within sub-national diversity is instrumental in implementing state climate action plans. And it is the principle of collective and shared responsibility that acts as the fuel for a valuable vertical integration within the Indian sub-continent.
How cattle ranchers in Brazil could help reduce carbon emissions
Providing customized training to Brazilian ranchers can not only help keep carbon in the ground, but improve their livelihoods and mitigate climate change, according to new research from the University of Colorado Boulder and the Climate Policy Initiative / PUC-Rio.
A new nuclear arms race is a real possibility
History suggests the war in Ukraine could put an end to arms control as we know it.
Global rooftop solar installations to double by 2025 to nearly 100GW a year
New analysis by Rystad Energy predicts global rooftop solar PV installations will surge to 95GW a year by 2025.
Japanese encephalitis accelerated by industrial pig farming, small-scale farmers claim
The pork industry concedes it has consolidated over the years but says the intensification is not to blame for the spread of the deadly virus because “mosquitoes don’t discriminate”.
How greenery and air pollution affect risk of stroke
Living close to green spaces can have an impact on stroke risk.
Ozone linked to depression in adolescents
Ozone, a common air pollutant, could be one of the causes behind depressive symptoms in adolescents, according to a new study.
Indigenous leaders demand an end to mining near Amazon basin – video
Indigenous leaders from nine countries in the Amazon basin gathered in Ecuador to urge South American nations to cease industries that damage the rainforest, calling on them to respect agreements and legal rulings that recognise Indigenous communities’ rights over territories.
Safeguarding African biodiversity through genomics
The African BioGenome Project aims to safeguard biodiversity and build bioinformatics capacity across Africa
Companies have failed to stop deforestation. Can that change in time to save the Amazon rainforest?
17 March
The situation is dire now, but there are also signs that businesses are beginning to find better solutions.
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